Percussion or vibration fuse for explosive charge

ABSTRACT

A percussion or vibration fuse device, particularly adapted for use in connection with hand and rifle grenades and mines, incorporating a time delay following actuation, in turn followed by a displacement of a battery to establish an electric current upon vibration and cause detonation of the explosive charge.

United States Patent Gawlick et al. Feb. 15, 1972 [54] PERCUSSION OR VIBRATION FUSE [56] References Cited FOR EXPLOSIVE CHARGE UNITED STATES PATENTS [7 2] Inventors: Heinz Gawlick, Furth; Hellmut Bendler,

Numbers both of Germany 3,205,322 9/1965 Reed, Jr ..l02/ l 9.2 X 3,505,959 4/1970 Lohnerl et al. 102/65 X [7 3] Assigneez Dynarnlt Nobel Aktiengesellsehait, v

Trolsdorf' Gemany Primarj Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt [22] Filed: Aug. 8, 1969 Assistant Examiner-J. .l. Devitt I pp No: 848,418 Attornev-Crarg, Antonelh & Hill ABSTRACT [30] F 8 Application Pnomy A percussion or vibration fuse device, particularly adapted for Aug. 9, 1968 Germany ..P I? 03 991.7 use in connection with hand and rifle grenades and mines, in-

' corporating a time delay following actuation, in turn followed [52} US. Cl ..102/70.2, 102/65, 102/192 by a displacement of a battery to establish an electric current llll- "F428 F42b 27/00. F42!) 23/26 upon vibration and cause detonation of the explosive charge. [58] FieldoiSearch ..l02/70.2,65, 19.2, 18

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures z My; 3 ye. l E

Z 3 a 7 I 5 3 PATENTEBFEB 15 m2 SHEET 1 [1F 2 INVENTORfi HEINZ GAWLICK HELLMUT BENDLER BY al 7, M

ATTORNEYS PATENTEDFEBISISTZ 8.641.938

SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTORS HEINZ GAWLICK HELLMUT BENDLER BY W'IM-/M ATTORNEYS PERCUSSION OR VIBRATION FUSE FOR EXPLOSIVE CHARGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION conventionally, hand grenades, rifle grenades and mines incorporate delay fuses which initiate detonation of the explosive charge, for example, after a time lapse of 4.5 seconds following actuation. Further, mechanical percussion fuses are known which cause explosion of the grenade or mine upon impingement; these fuses, however, are extremely complicated in construction as they consist of numerous components.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a percussion or vibration fuse incorporating a time delay and offering maximum safety from inadvertent triggering.

Further, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a fuse device of the type described above constructed from a relatively small number of moving parts, thus minimizing the complexity and, accordingly, the expense involved in produc' tion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned objectives are accomplished, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a gas-enriched primer charge for producing a gas pressure which serves to displace a battery so as to establish communication between the positive pole of the battery and a contact disk such that, upon impingement or vibration, an electric circuit is closed, thereby igniting a detonator and exploding the explosive charge. Preferably, the contact disk is suspended flexibly, at three points, by means of radially disposed springs, so that the disk can execute a motion upon vibration.

The positive pole of the battery includes a projection which, when the fuse is in a safety mode, is short circuited with the housing of the fuse device by means of a plate so that the explosive charge cannot be detonated even if the battery is inadvertently activated. An unintentional activation of the battery could occur, for example, if potassium hydroxide solution employed in the fuse device were to leak. The present invention, however, serves to prevent detonation of the explosive charge even in the event that the solution should leak in the absence of a prior ignition of the gas-enriched primer charge.

According to a further feature of the present invention, a pole section of the positive pole is disposed within a bore of the contact disk and is insulated with respect to the latter by means of an insulating ring, which ring simultaneously provides a positional fixation of the contact disk when the fuse device is in a safety mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the detailed description hereinbelow, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a section through a fuse device for use in connection with hand grenades;

FIG. 2 represents a partial fragmentary view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1, in a safety mode;

FIG. 3 represents a cross section of the fuse device along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 represents a partial fragmentary view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1, in a live or armed position;

FIG. 5 represents a sectional view of a modified embodiment of a fuse device according to the present invention, ina safety mode; and

FIG. 6 represents a sectional view through the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, in a live or armed mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS As seen in FIG. 1, a striker element 2 is detachably secured by means of safety lever l. The striker element 2 may be released by freeing the safety leverl in which case it impinges upon a primer cap3, as in conventional hand grenades.

The primer cap 3 in turn ignites a delay charge 4 which preferably has a burning time of 2 to 3 seconds. In contrast to conventional constructions, a gas-enriched primer charge 5 is ignited by the delay charge 4; the primer charge 5 serves to conduct potassium hydroxide solution from a container 6 into an activatable battery 7 which supplies, for example, 1.5 volts or 1 ampere, whereby the battery is activated. Further, the primer charge serves to displace the battery, advancing same through a distance of several millimeters. At the bottom of the battery 7, a positive pole 8 (FIG. 2) includes a projection 9, which projection is short circuited, with the fuse device in a safety mode (FIG. 2), by way of a plate 10.

During the activating procedure, the axial advancement of the battery 7 serves to obviate the short circuit and remove the projection 9 of the positive pole 8 from contact with the plate 10. In the safety mode, a pole section 11 associated with .the positive pole-8 of the battery 7 is disposed such that it is surrounded by an insulating ring 12 within a contact disk 14, which disk 14 is suspended by means of three radially disposed springs 13 (FIG. 3 In this manner, the contact disk 14 is fixed in its position and is simultaneously separated from the positive pole 8 of the battery 7. The contact disk 14 is accommodated within an annular support 15, which support is connected to the positive pole of the detonator (not shown).

After activation'and advancement of the battery 7, that is, after the fuse has been armed (FIG. 4), contact takes place, upon vibration, between the contact disk 14 and the projection 9 of the positive pole 8 and'the circuit to the detonator is closed. It should be noted herein that with the fuse device in its safety mode, the positive pole 8 of the noncharged battery is short circuited to the housing 16, so that even if the potassium hydroxide solution leaks out unintentionally, the detonator is not ignited.

The fuse illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs somewhat from that illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, principally in the construction of the member providing selective contact. In the. embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6, the positive pole 8 of the battery 7 includes a threaded extension 17 upon which a spring 18 is disposed. The pin '19 of a vibrating contact 20 is disposed within the other end of the spring 18, whereby a mechanical and electrical connection is established between the positive pole 8 and the vibrating contact 20. The vibrating contact 20 is short circuited with respect to the housing 16, in the safety mode, by means of a short circuit disk 21. The spring 18 further serves to fix the vibrating contact 20 in its position.

By means of the axial advancement of the battery 7 during activation, the short circuit is eliminated and the vibrating contact 20 penetrates the short circuit disk 21 and is then free to oscillate or vibrate due to its spring suspension. Upon impact or vibration, the vibrating contact 20 comes into engagement with a contact cup 22, insulated with respect to the housing 16, and the circuit to the detonator is thus closed.

It is also within the contemplation of the present invention to employ the fuse devices herein disclosed in connection with mines. In this regard, the delay tube 4 would then be constructed to afford a longer time interval, for example, 6-10 seconds of burning time. As in the embodiment wherein the fuse device is employed in connection with a hand grenade, the battery 7 is activated only after the time delay. The operative time of the battery 7 after activation amounts to about 30 minutes when employed with a percussion fuse for a hand grenade. When the fuse is to be used in connection with a mine, the operative time of the battery 7 should desirably be extended to about 24 hours. This can be accomplished simply by installing a simple battery. If, during the operative time of the battery, the mine is jarred or moved, ignition is initiated in the manner set forth 'above with respect to the percussion fuse The sensitivity of the fuse for percussion or mine effect can be influenced by an appropriate configuration of the contact disk (FIG. 3), enlargement of the mass and type of design of the springs 13, as well as the of the contact 20 and the spring 18 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. and 6.

While the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to the specific details of but two embodiments, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific details, but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as would be apparent to one with normal skill in the pertinent technology.

What is claimed is:

1. A fuse device adapted for the percussion or vibration detonation of the explosive charges of mines and hand and rifle grenades, comprising detonator means, activatable battery means, primer cap means ignited by a striker mechanism, delay tube means ignited by said primer cap means and having a burning time of a predetermined duration, gas-enriched primer charge means initiated by said delay tube means and adapted to cause activation of said battery means by producing a gas-pressurized charge which conducts an electrolytic medium into said battery means, and, simultaneously, to displace said battery means into a position wherein an electric circuit is established by vibration or percussion, which circuit includes said detonator means.

2. A fuse device according to claim 1, wherein said fuse device further includes flexibly supported contact disk means and said battery means includes a pole having a projection thereon which engages said contact disk means when said battery means is displaced by the gas produced by said primer charge means, thereby causing said circuit to close upon vibration or percussion.

3. A fuse device according to claim 2, wherein said contact disk means is suspended by means of radially disposed spring means which permit said disk means to move upon vibration of said fuse device.

4. A fuse device according to claim 2, further including housing means and plate means serving to short circuit said projection of said battery means with said housing means until said battery means is displaced by said gas charge produced by said primer charge means.

5. A fuse device according to claim 4, further comprising insulating ring means which serves to secure said contact disk means when said fuse device is in a safety mode, prior to displacement of said battery means.

6. A fuse device according to claim 5, wherein said contact disk means includes a bore therethrough and a section of said pole of said battery means is disposed within said bore and insulated from said disk means by said insulating ring means when said fuse device is in a safety mode.

7. A fuse device according to claim 1, further including vibrating contact means flexibly connected with a pole of said battery means and contact cup means within which said vibrating contact means is engageable to establish, upon vibration, an electric circuit including said detonator means, after said battery means has been displaced by the gas charge produced by said primer charge means.

8. A fuse device according to claim 7, wherein said pole of said battery means includes a threaded extension and said vibrating contact means is flexibly connected thereto.

9. A fuse device according to claim 8, further comprising coil spring means interconnecting said vibrating contact means and said threaded extension. 

1. A fuse device adapted for the percussion or vibration detonation of the explosive charges of mines and hand and rifle grenades, comprising detonator means, activatable battery means, primer cap means ignited by a striker mechanism, delay tube means ignited by said primer cap means and having a burning time of a predetermined duration, gas-enriched primer charge means initiated by said delay tube means and adapted to cause activation of said battery means by producing a gas-pressurized charge which conducts an electrolytic medium into said battery means, and, simultaneously, to displace said battery means into a position wherein an electric circuit is established by vibration or percussion, which circuit includes said detonator means.
 2. A fuse device according to claim 1, wherein said fuse device further includes flexibly supported contact disk means and said battery means includes a pole having a projection thereon which engages said contact disk means when said battery means is displaced by the gas produced by said primer charge means, thereby causing said circuit to close upon vibration or percussion.
 3. A fuse device according to claim 2, wherein said contact disk means is suspended by means of radially disposed spring means which permit said disk means to move upon vibration of said fuse device.
 4. A fuse device according to claim 2, further including housing means and plate means serving to short circuit said projection of said battery means with said housing means until said battery means is displaced by said gas charge produced by said primer charge means.
 5. A fuse device according to claim 4, further comprising insulating ring means which serves to secure said contact disk means when said fuse device is in a safety mode, prior to displacement of said battery means.
 6. A fuse device according to claim 5, wherein said contact disk means includes a bore therethrough and a section of said pole of said battery means is disposed within said bore and insulated from said disk means by said insulating ring means when said fuse device is in a safety mode.
 7. A fuse device according to claim 1, further including vibrating contact means flexibly connected with a pole of said battery means and contact cup means within which said vibrating contact means is engageable to establish, upon vibration, an electric circuit including said detonator means, after said battery means has been displaced by the gas charge produced by said primer charge means.
 8. A fuse device according to claim 7, wherein said pole of said battery means includes a threaded extension and said vibrating contact means is flexibly connected thereto.
 9. A fuse device according to claim 8, further comprising coil spring means interconnecting said vibrating contact means and said threaded extension. 